GLOUCESTER — Twelve people were arrested Thursday in Gloucester and another suspect is being sought out of state following an investigation into the sales of synthetic drugs such as spice and bath salts.

Nearly 50 officers from various agencies participated in "Operation Direct Pressure" this morning in Gloucester, said Sheriff Darrell Warren.

Investigators were seen conducting searches at two shops in Gloucester. One shop on Route 17 in Hayes is called "Hazy Dayz" and the other shop on Route 14 in the Court House area is called "A Lil of This N A Lil of That."

Warren said he was not able to comment on the identities of the people arrested or the precise charges pending their appearances in court. The suspects are expected to make their initial appearances in Gloucester County General District Court on Friday.

12 people are behind bars Thursday night after police raided both “Hazy Dayz” and ”A Lil of This N That,” two Gloucester County businesses suspected of selling synthetic narcotics such as bath salts and spice.

The arrests follow a lengthy investigation by several agencies, dubbed “Operation Direct Pressure,” aimed at combatting sales of the synthetic narcotics. Gloucester County Sheriff Darrell Warren says the investigation was conducted by members of the Tri-Rivers Drug Task Force comprised of narcotics investigators from the sheriff’s offices of Gloucester, York-Poquoson, Mathews, and Middlesex.

Something Gloucester teen Iesha Cox says should have been done sooner. She says her friend was recently sent to the hospital after overdosing on spice.

“It’s very upsetting because that could have been his life,” Cox says. “That could have taken his life away.”

Megan Watkins has always lived in Gloucester. She says the culture of using the drugs has gotten out of hand.

“It’s pretty bad,” she says. “I mean I’m in EMS. I’m volunteering and we get a lot of calls for you know spice and bath salts, stuff like that, so I’d say it’s a pretty large range of people who do it.”

Now can the sheriff's office actually go after the real drugs and real drug dealers? Anyone care to bet that these cases get thrown out because the ingredients in the spice and bath salts end up that they have not yet been banned in the state? It makes for nice publicity anyway.

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